Sudan: ‘We intend to form professional army with new doctrine’

“We intend to form a professional army with a new doctrine,” said Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on the first anniversary of the revolution.

This came in a speech during a mass celebration in Khartoum on Wednesday in the presence of a number of ministers.

Hamdok noted that “the defunct regime transformed Sudan into a farm, run by a minority that spread corruption in the country”, in reference to the government of ousted President Omar Al-Bashir.

“Therefore, legislation to dismantle the old regime have been passed, and we will not hesitate to take firm decisions. We do not bear grudges, but we work in accordance with the law.”

On 29 November, the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers in Sudan passed a law aimed at dismantling Al-Bashir’s regime.

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Hamdok stressed that his government wants to achieve justice, adding: “We will make sure that those involved in killing protesters will be held accountable.”

Commenting on the economic conditions in country, Hamdok stressed his government’s attempts to ease the harsh living conditions and overcome the economic crises by settling irregularities in the Sudanese economy.

On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed Sudan put in place several measures to alleviate the current situation, including: “liberalising the exchange rate, mobilising revenue and gradually abolishing fuel subsidies, in addition to making a significant increase in social transfers to mitigate the impact of the coming reforms on vulnerable groups.”